Chapter 9: Council of Reforms – Allies, Enemies, and Unhealed Wounds
"Leadership is not about popularity.
It's about carrying wounds with dignity, even when no one thanks you for bleeding."
—Zayne Adedayo
Monday — 9:00 AM — Crestmont University Senate Boardroom
The room smelled like paper, paint, and problems waiting to be solved.
Twelve chairs. One round table. A projector in the center. Four security guards outside.
This was the first meeting of the newly-formed Student Ethics Reform Council.
Seated at the far left was me—Zayne Adedayo.
Beside me: Naya Okonkwo, looking like a storm in stillness.
To our right:
Chidera, a second-year law student and activist with a fierce Twitter following.
Taye Bello, VP of the Engineering Faculty Union.
Hanifa from Medical Sciences—quiet but sharp.
And… Amaka Okafor, seated directly opposite me.
Yes.
She showed up.
8 Hours Earlier – Amaka's POV
She stared at the letter again:
"Dear Amaka Okafor,
You have been selected by majority student nomination to represent the Arts & Humanities bloc on the Student Ethics Reform Council."
She laughed bitterly.
Her name.
On a reform board built from a system she once protected with silence.
Still, she got dressed.
Pressed her black slacks.
Tied her braids up.
And whispered to her mirror:
"I am not who I was.
But maybe I can fix who I've become."
9:05 AM – Back in the Boardroom
"Alright," Naya said, breaking the tension. "Let's begin."
I led with the agenda:
1. Faculty misconduct review structure.
2. Creation of an anonymous reporting channel.
3. Proposal for peer-vetted justice panels.
4. Addressing backlash from the Press Club and staff.
Hanifa leaned forward. "Before that—shouldn't we talk about Zaria?"
The room stiffened.
I nodded. "She hasn't spoken since the leak. She's still enrolled. But…"
Chidera cut in. "...But she lost her credibility."
Amaka finally spoke. "That doesn't make her useless."
All eyes turned to her.
"She made mistakes," Amaka continued, "but she built a platform students actually listened to. That momentum matters."
Naya raised a brow. "So what, we reward betrayal?"
"No. We recycle it. Control the direction. Zaria is ambitious. But people like her? They'd rather join fire than be left in ashes."
Silence.
I wrote one note in my journal:
"Keep enemies close. Especially when they still hold a mic."
11:00 AM – Campus Cafeteria
The council broke for recess.
I walked out to get some air.
Naya followed.
"You okay?" she asked.
I nodded. "Are you?"
She hesitated.
Then said softly, "Sometimes I forget how to stop fighting."
I looked at her. "You don't have to."
"But I want to," she whispered.
I didn't say anything.
I just leaned closer.
Her gaze flicked to my lips, then back to my eyes.
But the moment shattered when someone cleared their throat behind us.
Amaka.
Naya stepped back.
"Didn't mean to interrupt," Amaka said, voice neutral.
"You didn't," Naya replied, stepping past her.
For a moment, I stood between them—past and present, tension and peace.
I followed Naya.
But Amaka's eyes stayed on me.
Not with hate.
But history.
2:00 PM — Inside DPSS Clubroom
Later that afternoon, I met with Ugo.
He was surrounded by printed reports and audio recorders.
"You look like a guy building a conspiracy wall," I said.
He grinned. "I am. But for justice."
He handed me a file.
Anonymous Tip: A Professor in Humanities Has Been Trading Grades for Silence.
"What the hell…" I muttered.
"I traced it through encrypted reports to a girl who failed a test, then disappeared from class for two weeks."
"Who?"
"Chidera's roommate."
This was deeper than we thought.
4:00 PM – Reform Council Emergency Session
We reconvened.
I dropped the file on the table.
"This is why we exist."
The others leaned in.
Naya stiffened. "Another faculty predator?"
Ugo entered with a laptop and hit play.
A distorted audio file echoed through the room:
"You don't want this to affect your GPA, do you? Just keep quiet… and things will go smoothly."
Gasps. Anger. And silence.
Hanifa whispered, "We're still bleeding."
Chidera stood up. "Then let's be the bandage this time."
I glanced at Amaka.
She didn't speak.
But her jaw tightened.
I knew that look.
Fire was returning to her.
Not rage.
Resolve.
7:00 PM — Zayne's Room
Ugo sat on my bed, legs crossed, devouring biscuits like they held prophecy.
"Bro, you really leading a resistance now."
I smiled weakly. "I'm just trying to breathe without guilt."
Then—
A knock.
Naya.
I opened the door.
She held up her phone.
On the screen?
Zaria Ajayi — Status Update:
"To everyone who hated me… fair.
But to those still willing to let me help… I have a bigger truth to share soon."
I stared at it.
"She's making a move."
Naya looked at me.
"Then so must we."
The Reform Council had begun its work.
But old ghosts hadn't left.
And in the distance, Zaria was stirring… with a story of her own.
Truth had built this council.
But secrets might burn it down.